Chan Gailey is leaving the Miami Dolphins – for real this time.
The Dolphins announced their 69-year-old offensive coordinator’s resignation on Wednesday morning, ending his second tenure with the Dolphins and his 21st season as an NFL coach.
Just two days ago, a Twitter troll posing as national reporter Adam Schefter “reported” Gailey was fired by the Dolphins. The gag seemingly duped ESPN into publishing a story on Gailey’s firing that appeared to be written by the network’s news desk, saying “a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter” of the information.
But Schefter never reported such a story on his verified account. The fake account that distributed the misinformation has since been deleted.
It prompted ESPN to issue a correction: “No ESPN reporters reported on Gailey or the Dolphins, or were involved in the error, which was made internally.”
The real Schefter did Tweet about the actual news Wednesday morning.
The Dolphins finished 10-6 but missed the playoffs. The offense ranked toward the middle of the pack in yards, rushing, passing and scoring, but the team was slow to develop rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa – especially compared to fellow rookie Justin Herbert with the Chargers – and had to be bailed out by veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick coming off the bench on several occasions.
Dolphins coach Brian Flores will be hiring his third offensive coordinator in as many seasons at the helm. Gailey replaced Chad O’Shea, who was fired from the position after one season.
“I want to thank Chan for all of his hard work and dedication in what was a unique year,” Flores said in a statement. “He played an important role on the staff and in the development of our young roster. I wish him all the best.”
